Des Moines-area local governments will have to come up with at least another $10 million a year — a 33 percent increase — just to keep overall road conditions steady, an analysis by the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization found.

That most likely means looking to a gas tax increase, property taxes or state aid to fill the gap, said MPO Executive Director Todd Ashby.

Currently, the area spends $30 million a year to maintain roads. That level of spending has left the communities with 18 percent of the roads in poor or very poor condition, and 82 percent in fair, good or excellent shape, MPO reported.

“This report puts a much-needed price tag on a known issue,” Tom Hockensmith, Polk County supervisor and MPO chairman said in a statement.

It’s a $40 million a year price tag.

Area governments have set a goal of keeping the current mix of road conditions in the future, Ashby said. The report breaks down the conditions city-by-city, suggesting that Mitchellville and Cumming will face some of the most serious road challenges if current funding levels remain. Des Moines and Windsor Heights are among cities whose  average road condition would improve significantly under the current spending levels.

A separate analysis of roads, excluding those overseen by the Iowa Department of Transportation, found the road conditions are worse in underserved areas, generally those with high populations of elderly residents, persons with disabilities, racial minorities, single-parent families, those without vehicles, and residents with limited English skills.

In those areas, 44 percent of the roads are in poor or very poor condition, the MPO found in study led by Aaron Bartling, associate transportation planner. Read more www.dmmpo.org